By Jake Donovan

Kosei Tanaka entered the record books following a 12-round over Julian Yedras to claim a vacant strawweight title Saturday afternoon in 
Komaki, Japan. 

With the win, Tanaka becomes a major titlist quicker than any other fighter in Japan's rich boxing history, accomplishing the feat in just his 5th pro fight.

It wasn't easy, although it could be argued that the 19-year old prodigy made it harder on himself than could have been the case. Tanaka jumped out to an early lead, his lateral movement and superb boxing skills were essential in remaining a step ahead of Yedras, who was fighting outside of Mexico for the first time in his career.

That changed in a hurry, though, as Yedras found a way to cut off the ring and turn a boxing match into a fight. Tanaka willingly obliged, getting caught up in a slugfest in the middle rounds as Yedras landed an alarming number of shots to literally punch his way back into the fight.

Tanaka offered a far more disciplined performance over the second half of the contest, returning to boxing although not without the occasional defensive lapse. Yedras certainly had his say, but reached a point where he needed a knockout in order to bring the title back home to Mexico.

That moment never arrived, as Tanaka closed strong en route to what seemed like a clear cut victory. 

Two of the judges agreed, as Salven Lagumbay and Sawaeng Thaweekoon each scored the bout 117-111 in his favor. Luis Ruiz, who primarily works out of his native Puerto Rico, somehow saw a far more competitive contest in turning in a 115-113 tally. 

All told, Tanaka was the rightful winner on all three cards, earning a vacant strawweight belt just two weeks shy of his 20th birthday and in just 18 months of service in the pro ranks. The win sends his mark to 5-0 (2KOs), surpassing countryman Naoya Inoue (six fights) and Kazuto Ioka (seven fights) in winning a belt in the fewest number of fights.

Yedras falls to 24-2 (13KOs), snapping a three-fight win streak. 

The belt at stake became available earlier this year, when unified Katsunari Takayama vacated in order to proceed with plans for a unification bout with Hekkie Budler, targeted for later this year.

The bout—which served as the first title attempt for both fighter—aired live on TBS-TV in Japan.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox